Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is the difference between licensed professional counseling and Christian/biblical counseling?
Answer: The primary difference between these two types of counseling is the foundation from which the healing process is determined. Licensed Professional Counselors, or LPCs, provide services from a secular worldview, and although the counselor may be a Christian, the focus is still based on a hierarchy of numerous clinical therapeutic approaches, some of which conflict with each other and often lead to the use of mental health medications. The primary methodology used by doctors and licensed therapists is called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which classifies and organizes "disorders" based on their symptoms. The focus, therefore, is negative in nature and based on labeling problems as "deficiencies." Christian/biblical counseling, as practiced at C4, is based on solutions (not causes) using a Christian worldview. The assumption is that almost every conflict in our lives is the result of a spiritual problem (while this may not always be the case, that will be our starting point) which could be sin-related, relationship-related, or identity-related. The focus is a solution based on biblical truth. If however, we believe treatment will be more appropriately provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist, we will refer you as necessary, to a Christian mental health provider.
Essentially, traditional mental health counseling remains centered on the problem and could be considered a "problem-focused paradigm." Christian counseling, as practiced at C4, remains centered on biblical truth and could be considered a "solution-focused paradigm."
C.S. Lewis said, "Keep clear of psychiatrists unless you know that they are also Christians. Otherwise they will start with the assumption that your religion is an illusion and try to "cure" it; and this assumption they make not as professional psychologists but as amateur philosophers." We wholeheartedly agree!
Question: What is the difference between Christian counseling and Christian life coaching?
Answer: The primary difference, as practiced by C4, is the formality of the relationship between the counselor/coach and the individual receiving services. Counseling is more formal than coaching. Generally speaking (outside of C4), counselors are spending time with the counselee examining the past and looking at emotional concerns in order to determine a diagnosis (required by insurance companies). Life coaches, on the other hand, generally help develop future goals and a "roadmap" to get there. C4 practices "Short-Term Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling," which is very similar in nature to life coaching. So, for our purposes, the primary difference is the formality of the relationship, and the legal "privileged communication" associated with pastoral counseling that does not extend to life coaching.
Question: How much does it cost?
Answer: Please see the "Pricing" tab.
Question: Can I stop taking medicine prescribed to me from a medical provider?
Answer: No! Do not stop taking any prescribed medication unless you are directed to do so by a competent medical provider. While it is our position that many people are over-medicated and medicine is often prescribed when not necessary, we cannot and will advise against professional medical direction to stop taking prescribed medications.
Question: How long will counseling or coaching take?
Answer: Our counseling approach is based on the methodology called "Short-Term Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling" and is intended to last for no more than 3 - 4 months, or shorter. However, exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
